Long delays as trucks mass to cross Latvia-Russia border

RIGA, December 25. /ITAR-TASS/. Trucks are lining up in long queues waiting for entry to Russia at the Latvia-Russia border. More than 300 vehicles are at the Terekhovo-Burachki checkpoint, 30 more at the Grebnevo-Ubylinka crossing.

They are waiting for between three hours and 18 hours on average, Latvia's border guard service reported in a phenomenon usual before Christmas and New Year holidays and before the May Day break.

Commercial vehicles have also massed at the crossing between Latvia and Belarus due to seasonal growth of border shipments.

Up to 160 trucks are idle at the Paternieki-Grigorovshchina checkpoint on Wednesday. Another 150 await entry into Belarus at Silene-Urbany, delayed from 18 hours to 31 hours on average.

Many transport operators are delivering cargo to Russia through Belarus due to Russian changes in transit customs clearance operations introduced at the end of this year.

Latvia's parliament passed several amendments in state border law in January 2012. Electronic registration for trucks to cross should have been introduced on the Latvian-Russian border from July 2012 but this system is not in effect yet.